Emma Moore, the general manager of AFLW, announced at the season opener that the league is planning a two-round crossover between the end of the men’s home-and-away season and the AFLW. This smart play has made a “one club, two teams” model the logical next step. It encourages fans of the men’s competition to see the benefit in supporting women’s games, too.
Moore underscored the importance of this strategy. He said that getting existing fans of the men’s league to support the women’s teams is a major goal and focus. This new alignment of both competitions could offer a tremendous potential opportunity for more fans, more eyes, more excitement, more interest for both leagues.
Laura Kane, AFL’s executive general manager of football operations, pointed to the huge cost of spectator no-shows at Docklands Stadium. She stressed that future AFLW games at the venue must attract a minimum of 20,000 fans. This target is very important to the success of this event. This benchmark comes from the memorable inaugural first Showdown between Adelaide and Port Adelaide in 2022. It brought out more than 20,000 people at Adelaide Oval to boot!
Essendon and Hawthorn’s inaugural clash in 2022 at Docklands attracted just 12,092 spectators, while their 2023 matchup in Frankston saw attendance drop to 3,778. Last year’s Showdown only attracted 5,194 fans at a capacity-focused Alberton Oval, suggesting difficulty in regularly attracting big crowds.
Grace Egan, a dynamic player for Richmond, shared her excitement about the possibility of double-headers.
“I don’t think I’ve talked to a girl that hasn’t loved it (the idea of a double-header).” – Grace Egan
This sentiment is shared by the majority of players and fans as well. Pairing the two events together could establish a celebratory mood that puts an equally strong focus on both men’s and women’s games all built around one day.
Alison Zell discussed the benefits of having teams share resources and staff across programs. She mentioned that during recent games in Gold Coast, the Giants’ AFL and VFL teams played simultaneously while the women’s team opened their season in Canberra. This level of coordination increases operational efficiency and helps further a cohesive club identity.
While he recognised there were significant challenges in the scheduling of fixtures, Zell expressed optimism for the future of double-headers in an AFLW context.
“We know that there’s a lot of complexities that come with this. We know it’s a really hard prospect to put the fixtures together [and] the AFL haven’t ruled out double-headers into the future.” – Alison Zell
The league acknowledges the missed opportunities. They’re looking to leverage that excitement and momentum from the men’s season return.
“We just think it was a missed opportunity, particularly in our market, to do it this year, to really capitalize on the fact that we’re coming back into the men’s season.” – Alison Zell
The focus on promoting both competitions together reflects a broader vision for expanding the fan base and enhancing community engagement.
Category-one venues are necessary for being able to host double-headers. He strongly agreed that these facilities can continue to play a critical role in raising attendance numbers.
Moore used the opportunity to again signal the league’s intent to work to maximize fixture planning to include crossover games whenever possible.
“While we’re working through the fixture, one of the things we’re focusing on is optimising what we can do in terms of the crossover of the women’s and men’s competition, and clearly double-headers are part of that conversation.” – Emma Moore
By creating platforms for common experiences within the leagues, the AFLW’s strategy strives to close gaps between its leagues through shared moments for supporters. As clubs navigate these complex scheduling dynamics, their focus remains clear: build excitement around both men’s and women’s competitions while fostering an inclusive sporting culture.
